5 concerns facing the Giants in the second half of the season
Renardo Green of the San Francisco 49ers breaks up a pass intended for Darius Slayton of the Giants during the third quarter of the game at MetLife Stadium on Sunday. Credit: Getty Images/Al Bello
The Giants stood pat at the NFL trade deadline Tuesday. No upgrades added. No players shipped out.
Now they have to deal with where they are: A third straight 2-7 start with little hope outside of quarterback Jaxson Dart.
"For us to be sitting in the same spot we were last year is not where we want it to be,” guard Jon Runyan Jr. said Monday. “Not where we thought we would be. It hurts.”
How they got to this point isn’t surprising but it’s frustrating. They had the NFL’s hardest schedule based on last season’s record and wilted. Dart has been helpful as advertised but the rookie can’t elevate a sinking ship.
Here are five major concerns from the first half of the season heading into the second.
Injuries
Losing receiver Malik Nabers to an ACL injury stunted the growth of one of the NFL’s bright rookies last year. Losing running back Cam Skattebo (dislocated ankle) robbed this team of one of its joys — a free-wheeling, bulldozing ball of excitement.
A big reason this team gave up 105 points the last nine quarters? No Paulson Adebo or Jevon Holland due to knee injuries. Players still have to play on but key injuries have kept this group from raising its floor.
It’s also why the Giants have to be mindful with Dart. He’s a competitor but he can’t keep taking unnecessary hits.
Ineffective pass-catchers
No Nabers exposed how this offense lacks explosive or reliable playmakers around Dart.
Darius Slayton has struggled to make a bigger impact after earning a raise this summer. Wan’Dale Robinson’s on pace for a career year as an impending free agent but he’s not being used to stretch the field.
Tight end Theo Johnson has five touchdowns but also has drops at the wrong time. Dart can’t do it all. He needs his playmakers to deliver more in the second half.
Defensive issues mount
From giving up big run plays to poor tackling, the defense has regressed in almost every aspect. The run defense remains on pace to be among the worst in Giants history. Despite adding a turnover chest to incentivize players, the Giants are tied for 29th with just six on the season.
The good part is Brian Burns’ NFL-high 11 sacks has him on pace to be the first player with at least 20 in a season since TJ Watt in 2021. Dexter Lawrence has struggled while facing persistent double teams. Linebacker Bobby Okereke’s 82 tackles are third in the NFL but he hasn’t had much impact in other aspects.
It’s not encouraging seeing the defense struggle against the Eagles and 49ers only to know they face a Bears team Sunday that’s top-five in total offense.
A so-so secondary
Yes, the defense is so bad, it merits two breakdowns. Because the secondary has ranged from just so-so to troubling.
Cor’Dale Flott has been a surprising positive at cornerback. But Adebo and Holland have been just fine in their first seasons. "Just fine" isn’t why the Giants paid them nearly $100 million combined in contracts last offseason.
Safety Tyler Nubin has struggled with his angles on tackling. Deonte Banks was benched but injuries brought him back at corner despite poor coverage issues. Dru Phillips has two interceptions at nickel but as a whole, this group hasn’t been consistent in making a dynamic impact.
The defense remains the Giants’ weakest link. It might cost defensive coordinator Shane Bowen his job but that just reminds us that the fault lies with the man who hired him.
Coaching
Brian Daboll has accepted the blame for every loss, saying often things aren’t good enough and it’s a collective problem. But if little has changed, it speaks to the coach’s inability to fix things or get his players to improve their execution.
“The biggest thing for us is to control the things we can control and that's the way I've always approached it,” Daboll said Monday.
Two more losses guarantee a third straight sub-.500 season in Daboll’s four years. If things don’t improve the next eight games, he might pay the ultimate price. Since no help is coming with the trade deadline over, the solution has to be in the Giants’ locker room.
But after a dismal first half, it’s getting harder to imagine those solutions are good enough to fix things.
Evan Barnes covers the Giants for Newsday. He previously covered the Brooklyn Nets, Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
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